Retract A Flag

ABSTRACT

“Retract-A-Flag is a snorkelers/divers flag and buoy that automatically dispenses and retracts lanyard as diver descends and ascends. This allows diver to focus completely on dive and not on line tending as this is a hands free function. Lanyard is kept taut and clear of diver, eliminating diver/lanyard entanglement. Safety Break-Away eliminates the dangers associated with marine vessel vs. diver lanyard snags. Diver surfaces with dive flag every time. Internal weight allows for easier transport and storage. Integrated carry handle allows for easier transport.”

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

“Not Applicable”

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

“Not Applicable”

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM, LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

“Not Applicable”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Scuba diving and snorkeling is a very popular water sport and hobby. There is a continual improvement to all aspects of gear utilized by snorkelers/divers. New materials and technologies allow for greater comfort, safety, and convenience.

Prior art is such that a snorkeler/diver must hold onto a hand reel with attached lanyard. The working end of the lanyard is then attached to a buoy. Attached to the buoy is a dive flag to warn those vessels in the area and passing by, the presence of a diver in the immediate area.

As the diver descends, he/she must unwind lanyard from the hand reel manually. As the diver ascends, he/she must rewind lanyard onto hand reel manually.

Managing a standard dive lanyard can be cumbersome, difficult and will not allow diver to focus 100% on dive. Diver may also become tangled in lanyard if lanyard not kept taut. Diver may not surface near dive flag due to difficulty in management of lanyard. Standard dive flag weight is external and can make storage and transport difficult. Carrying a standard dive buoy, flag, lanyard, and lanyard spool can be difficult and cumbersome. There is no safety break-away features currently available. If a boat or other marine vessel snags lanyard, there is a chance the diver may be injured or killed.

The use of a dive flag/buoy is required in almost all states. It is used to alert boaters and other marine vessels the presence of a snorkeler/diver in the vicinity. Vessels are required by law to stay clear of the area by a specific distance so as to avoid collision with the snorkeler/diver. There are groups that currently promote and educate boaters of dive flag awareness.

The present invention solves these problems and others as will be obvious.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Retract-A-Flag is a dive flag and buoy that has pull box integrated in buoy. It dispenses and retracts diver's lanyard automatically and hands free as diver descends/ascends. It allows diver to focus 100% on dive as well as eliminating diver/lanyard entanglement as lanyard is kept taut and out of the way. It allows diver to surface with dive flag every time and for easier storage and transport due to internal weight. It allows for easier transport due to carry handle and the Quick-Connect and Safety Break-Away protects diver from boat vs. lanyard snags. Retract-A-Flag gives snorkelers and divers a needed safety improvement and convenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(FIG. 1) Is a side elevational view, the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;

(FIG. 2) Is a front elevational view, the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;

(FIG. 3) Is a top view thereof;

(FIG. 4) Is a bottom view thereof;

(FIG. 5) Is a side elevational view, the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;

(FIG. 6) Is a top view, the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;

(FIG. 7) Is a perspective view thereof;

(FIG. 8) Is a perspective view thereof;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dive flag and buoy that has pull box with lanyard integrated inside the buoy with stainless steel components including the internal spring device.

The product is comprised of the following components:

Dive Flag: Made of nylon, canvas, cotton, vinyl or any suitable material. Design may be the traditional diver down flag, international maritime signal flag A, or any other necessary flag. Is attached or inserted onto dive flag pole. May have grommets running vertical at one edge or sewn in hollow space running vertical at one edge for dive flag pole to be attached or inserted. May have plastic receptacle caps on diagonal corners and/or sewn in hollowed space running diagonal for insertion of dive flag stiffener. Divers-down flags must be either square or rectangular, red with a white diagonal stripe and have a stiffener to keep it unfurled and visible. Flag size varies from state to state, or internationally from country to country. Function is to show the presence of diver/snorkler in the immediate area and to warn as such to boats or other watercraft in the area.

Dive Flag Stiffener: Made of plastic, stainless (wire) or any suitable material. May be inserted into plastic receptacle caps on diagonal corners of flag and/or sewn in hollowed space running diagonal on flag. Function is to keep flag unfurled and visible.

Dive Flag Pole: Made of plastic, stainless or other suitable materials. May be one or more interlocking pieces. Is connected, attached or inserted into/through buoy. May have weight attached or integrated at base of pole. May be a 1 piece or 2-piece pole, 4-6 feet long when assembled. Function is to hold flag in upright, visible position.

Weight (FIG. 1, #4.): 2 Lbs. Made of lead. Made of metal or any suitable material. Weight is integrated in center base of buoy. Weight is Canada Metal zinc (2 lbs.) which is composed of an alloy that meets Mil-Spec MIL-A-18001 for sacrificial anodes. This alloy is mostly zinc, but with measurable concentrations of cadmium (˜0.1%) and aluminum (˜0.25%). This weight is sealed with rubber, so as to not corrode. May be any shape and size depending upon size of buoy. Has hole in weight for lanyard in Pull Box to be dispensed and retracted through. Hole has smooth beveled edges so as to not cut, fray, or damage the lanyard. Manufacturer is Canada Metals. Function is to act as a counter balance to flag pole and flag and keep flag in upright, visible position. Integrated weight allows for easier storage and transport.

Buoy (FIG. 1, #5.): Made of Styrofoam. May be made of any buoyant or inflatable materials including, but not limited to Styrofoam, plastic, etc. May also be blow molded, injected, manufactured by any necessary means. May be made as a single unit or multiple pieces assembled together. Function is to be a flotation buoy arranged for flotation upon the top surface of a body of water and present dive flag in viewable, upright position.

Pull Box: Consists of;

-   -   Spring (FIG. 1, #6 a.)     -   Spring Spool (FIG. 1, #6 b.)     -   Lanyard (FIG. 1, #6 c.)     -   Lanyard Spool (FIG. 1, #6 d.)     -   External Housing Main Body (FIG. 1, #6 e.)     -   Dive Flag Pole Receptacle (FIG. 1, #6 f.)     -   Spring Housing Sides (2) (FIG. 1, #6 g.)     -   External Housing Sides (2) (FIG. 1, #6 h.)     -   Stainless Screws (FIG. 1, #6 i.)         Pull Box may be made of plastic, stainless, or any suitable         materials. May also be blow molded, injected, or manufactured by         any means necessary. May be located internal or external of         flotation device. May be made as a single unit or multiple         pieces assembled together. Function is to allow the automatic         dispensing and retracting of diver's lanyard. Prevent release of         any excess line and automatically pay out only sufficient line.         Pull Box is housed inside of buoy. May also be mounted         externally of buoy. Dive flag pole receptacle attached (welded)         to top of Pull Box.

Constant Force Spring (FIG. 1, #6 a.): Made of stainless metal with flexible-yet-tensile strength and may have different torque levels, turns, arbor, and length for different uses. Spring is housed on spring spool by coiling spring around center hub of spring spool and placing inside end of spring (which is bent to approximately 90 degree angle) into notch in center hub of spring spool. Most exterior end of spring is bent to approximately 90 degree angle and placed into notch at backside of lanyard spool. Spring assembly may be a dual or multi stage spring, whereas there are two or more springs housed together that work together based upon, but not limited to the following. First spring completes its full turn cycle and engages the second, third, etc. spring by means of shaft, axle, cog, gear assembly, etc. Second, third, etc. spring then starts its turn cycle, allowing lanyard to continue to be pulled at the same torque level, turns, arbor, etc. The purpose for a multi-stage spring is to allow for a smaller diameter pull box. The spring consists of the following specifications

-   -   Manufactured by Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co., PA.     -   0.010×0.495 Type 301 Stainless     -   Part Number: CP11G-650F     -   Case ID: 4.730     -   Torque: 2.5 in-lbs     -   Turns: 50     -   Arbor.: 0.500″     -   Length: 650″         Function is to allow the automatic dispensing and retraction of         diver's lanyard, prevent release of any excess line, pay out         only sufficient line, and keep lanyard taut during use. This is         accomplished by the diver pulling or releasing tension on the         lanyard. As the set threshold torque of the spring is reached,         the lanyard is dispensed, while keeping a set level of tension         on the line, keeping the line taut. As the set threshold torque         is released, the lanyard is retracted, while keeping a set level         of tension on the line.

Spring Spool (FIG. 1, #6 b.): Made of plastic. May be made of stainless, metal, or any suitable material. Is located at center of Pull Box housing. Is held into position by an aluminum pivot point (through bolt) running through pull box. Function is to hold springing place at inside end of spring that is bent to approximately 90 degree angle and placed into notch of spring spool. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary.

Lanyard (FIG. 1, #6 c.): Made of polypropylene or any suitable material. Function is to serve as a connection point from diver to buoy and flag. 100′ plus of lanyard stored onto lanyard spool available for use.

Lanyard Spool (FIG. 1, #6 d.): Made of plastic. May be made of stainless, metal, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to store and hold lanyard in place at inside end of lanyard which is placed through notch or hole in lanyard spool and attached by tying knot on backside of lanyard spool, by using an adhesive, or any other method of attaching lanyard securely to lanyard spool.

External Housing Main Body (FIG. 1, #6 e.): Made of plastic. May be made of stainless, metal, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to securely house Pull Box components: (spring, spring spool, lanyard, lanyard spool).

Dive Flag Pole Receptacle (FIG. 1, #6 f.): Made of aluminum. May be made of stainless, metal, plastic, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Dive flag pole receptacle can be attached (welded) onto top of external housing. Function is to securely hold flag in upright position.

Spring Housing Sides (2) (FIG. 1, #6 g.): Made of plastic. May be made of stainless, metal, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to hold spring in place and onto spring spool.

External Housing Sides (2) (FIG. 1, #6 h.): Made of plastic. May be made of stainless, metal, or any other suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to hold lanyard in place and onto lanyard spool.

Stainless Screws (FIG. 1, #6 i.): Made of stainless. May be made of plastic, metal, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Is screwed through spring housing sides and into lanyard spool side edges. Is screwed through external housing sides and into External Housing side edges. Function is to hold spring housing sides, and external housing sides in place.

Lanyard Stop: Can be made of stainless metal, rubber, plastic or any other suitable material. Is attached or connected to working end of lanyard at point exposed outside of buoy. As lanyard retracts, the connected mechanism pulls up against buoy and lanyard retraction stops because lanyard stop mechanism is too large to fit into pull box. There are several different methods available for Lanyard Stop Mechanism including but not limited to a tennis ball with a hole (smaller than lanyard) drilled into it. Lanyard is placed through this hole and slid to desired location. There is also the spring release type. This is moved to different locations by pushing spring release and sliding to desired location on lanyard. Another method is to simply tie a knot at desired location. Function is to stop lanyard from being retracted into buoy. This would be the last approximately 5-10 feet of lanyard. This allows the diver to have 5-10 feet of slack or play in lanyard between user and flag/buoy. This is necessary while on surface of water so that flag/buoy is clear of diver's way.

Lanyard Quick Connect (FIG. 5, #8.): Made of plastic. Can be made of stainless, metal, or any other suitable material. Is attached or connected to working end of lanyard. Function is to form connection from lanyard to Safety Break-Away.

Lanyard Safety Break-Away (FIG. 6, #9.): Made of rubber (rubber o-ring) with low breaking strength. Can be made of any other suitable material. Is attached or connected to any point of diver or gear. Connection point should preferably be onto the valve assembly of tank as this allows lanyard to keep clear of diver. If moving vessel becomes entangled with lanyard, the Safety Break-Away (has low breaking strength) will break away from connection point so as not to pull or drag diver. Function is to form as a safe connection point from Lanyard Quick Connect to attachment point (tank valve).

Carry Handle (FIG. 1, #10 a.): Consists of Carry Handle, Handle Body, Bolts, and Allen Screws.

Carry Handle: Made of plastic. Can be made of stainless, metal, or any other suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Has stainless screws attaching Handle to Handle Body. Function is to act as a carry handle for convenience of transport.

Handle Body (FIG. 1, #10 b.): Made of Metal. Can be made of stainless, plastic, or any other suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Has a hole which is placed over and onto dive flag pole receptacle. Has counter sunk hex screw/bolt which is tightened into Dive Flag Pole Receptacle. Function is to serve as a connection point from Handle to buoy.

Allen Screws (FIG. 1, #10 c,d.): Made of stainless. Can be made of metal, plastic, or any other suitable material. Is inset into Handle Body. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to serve as a tightening device to secure Handle Body to Dive Flag Pole Receptacle.

Internal Frame (FIG. 1, #11.): Made of aluminum and plastic. Can be made of stainless, metal, or any other suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Consists of elongated metal piece that is connected to Weight on 2 opposite sides and about Dive Flag Pole Receptacle. Has a 90 degree bend at base ends where connection is made to Weight with screws, nuts, and bolts. Frame Runs from Weight, up sides of Pull Box to top of Pull Box where there is another 90 degree bend on each respective side forming a top side. This top side has a hole to be placed over Dive Flag Pole Receptacle. Function is to provide stability for Pull Box

Through Bolts (FIG. 1, #11 a.): Made of stainless, metal, plastic, aluminum, or any suitable material. May be attached or integrated to any part of device by any means necessary. Function is to hold internal frame to weight.

Steps to use Retract-A-Flag

-   -   Step 1: User picks up Retract-A-Flag by the carry Handle (FIG.         1, #10 a.) to move from location to location.     -   Step 2: User attaches Safety Break-Away (FIG. 6, #9.) to desired         location on dive gear. Preferred location is on the valve         assembly of dive tank. This location is at the back side of         divers head which will keep the Lanyard (FIG. 1, #6 c.) out of         divers way.     -   Step 3: After diver dons all gear; User pulls out approximately         5-10 feet of Lanyard from Buoy (FIG. 1, #5.) and slides Lanyard         Stop Mechanism to desired location on Lanyard.     -   Step 4: User attaches Lanyard Quick Connect (FIG. 5, #8.) to         Safety Break-Away (FIG. 6, #9.).     -   Step 5: User places buoy (FIG. 1, #5.) and Dive Flag into water.     -   Step 6: As diver descends, the level of tension on the constant         force spring (FIG. 1, #6 a.) which is housed on spring spool         (FIG. 1, #6 b.) exceeds the threshold torque and lanyard (FIG.         1, #6 c.) is automatically dispensed from the lanyard spool         (FIG. 1, #6 d.).     -   Step 7: As diver ascends, the level of tension on the spring is         reduced below the threshold torque and Lanyard is automatically         retracted into pull box and onto lanyard spool.     -   Step 8: Rinse well with fresh water after use.

Due to the set threshold torque, there is no release of excess line and automatic pay out of only sufficient line. This causes dive flag/buoy on surface to follow diver overhead as diver moves from location to location. It also keeps line taut and out of the divers way, which reduces entanglement. This also allows diver to surface with dive flag every time.

Can be made and used with or with out dive flag depending upon intended use (diver, snorkler, marker buoy, lobster trap buoy, etc.). Can have varying lengths of lanyard depending upon desired depth of dive, marker depth, lobster trap depth, etc.

Internal spring may have different torques depending upon intended use (diver, snorkler, marker buoy, lobster trap buoy, etc.). Can be use by snorklers as well as divers by attaching working end of lanyard to snorkler/diver via quick connect and safety break away system.

Can be used as a marker buoy to mark a fixed location on the surface of the water with buoy. This is done by attaching a weight to working end of lanyard and dropping weight into water. Weight must be more than threshold torque of internal spring.

Can be used as a lobster trap locater by attaching lanyard to lobster trap before lowering trap to waters floor. 

1. A dive flag and buoy line dispenser apparatus consisting of, in combination, a flotation buoy, formed of a buoyant material, arranged for flotation purposes on top surface of a body of water, and a pull box assembly including a constant force spring, spring spool, lanyard storage spool, flexible lanyard, dive flag pole receptacle, wherein said assembly is mounted inside or outside of said buoyant material, having its axis of rotation generally horizontal to said body of water the buoyant material is floating upon, and a quick-connect and safety break-away assembly arranged for quick connect of working end of lanyard (which said quick connect is attached) to the safety break-away, which is secured to a location on diver or dive gear, preferable about scuba tank cylinder valve, and a weight ballast housed low, center, and inside of buoyant material, comprising a hole in weight for dispensing and retracting port for lanyard, and a carry handle assembly attached to external portion of buoyant material.
 2. A dive flag and buoy line dispenser apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said pull box assembly including a constant force spring for automatic and hands free control of said flexible lanyard dispensing, retracting, whereas said spring threshold torque level is acquired by diver descending or ascending in body of water, and as such, said spring compresses or expands causing said movement to engage attached spring spool, attached lanyard spool, and attached lanyard to dispense or retract lanyard accordingly, and, pull box housing to secure and allow precise, proper, auto-controlled movement of all said components, and said pull box may be mounted inside or outside of said buoyant material, and said pull box includes dive flag pole receptacle for the purpose of inserting dive flag pole, and said pull box may include holes for water intrusion to allow said assembly to be utilized external of buoy, under surface of body of water, and preferably directly below said buoy, and attached to buoy.
 3. A dive flag and buoy line dispenser apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said quick-connect and safety break-away assembly break-away from one another caused by safety break-away exceeding breaking strength and ripping, tearing, or separating, as would occur during boat versus lanyard snag, eliminating all associated hazards.
 4. A dive flag and buoy line dispenser apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said weight ballast is housed low, center, and inside of buoyant material, comprising a hole in weight for dispensing and retracting port for lanyard (which is housed above weight), and has smooth beveled edges so as not to snag the lanyard, and also to ease transport and storage due to integrated said weight, and said weight to comprise of Aluminum and Zinc are by far the most widely used in salt and brackish water; magnesium anodes are used exclusively in fresh water due to its lower conductivity.
 5. A dive flag and buoy line dispenser apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said carry handle assembly is secured to external portion of buoyant material to assist in transport. Said handle comprising of ability to recess and affix into or onto said buoy. 